Job Titles: Is It Okay for Ads and Appointment Letters to Have Different Names?

Can the designation of a role be different in an advertisement than what is mentioned in the appointment letter?

Dear Unnati,

While filling in the vacancy, what was the designation advertised and what designation does the company now intend to offer? Is the new designation higher or lower than the previous one?

Inform the selected candidate about the change in designation. Take the employee into confidence regarding why the change was necessary. It is important that this information is communicated before the appointment letter is received, as a surprise change could be unsettling for the newly joined employee.

A change in designation may suggest indecisiveness on the part of the company. This wavering stance can negatively impact the trust of the employees.

If the new designation is higher than the initially advertised one, the employee may not have objections. However, if it is lower, there may be discontent as the employee might feel disappointed. If there is a commitment to restore the original designation, ensure it is clearly stated in the appointment letter.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Dinesh ji, Thanks for your swift response. It is not about a higher or lower designation, but an altogether different name. In the advertisement, the employer posted "Spoken English Trainer" required without an explicit job description. The employer then gave an offer letter on plain paper mentioning the designation as "Changemaker," again without any explicit job description, but just mentioning the salary and the amount to be received as an incentive against achieving the target number of students to be trained.

After the induction program with great follow-up, the employee received an Appointment Letter in which the job description is detailed, more than what had been proposed at the time of the advertisement, during the interview, and also during induction.

Also, in the Appointment Letter, working hours are mentioned as 6 hours on a working day by taking 2*3hrs training sessions. In reality, the Changemaker has to identify colleges, convince the Principal to conduct training, enter data of student participants if the Principal approves the training, and then conduct training. This is basically a combination of 3 roles (mobilizer, data entry operator, and trainer).

Now, please clarify whether it is legally acceptable or not. Thank you in advance.

Dear Unnati,

Are you writing in the capacity of the HR professional from the company, or are you the candidate? Or are you a third person who has written the post on behalf of someone?

As I mentioned earlier, the company is changing its position frequently. However, everything depends on the newly joined employee. If it is acceptable to him/her, then well and good. Otherwise, he/she can very well decline to work further.

As far as labor laws are concerned, the matter is out of their purview. If the employee has acknowledged the receipt of the appointment letter, then the terms and conditions of the employment, which include designation as well, are binding on him/her.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar